CROWNED | 2 Kings Chapter 23
- Aug 7
- 5 min read
Week 9 / Day 44
Written by Jennifer Kopp
REFLECTION
Josiah was a king who stayed faithful to God throughout his reign. In 2 Kings 22, he began purging the idolatry in Israel. He also realized how far off from God's standard he and the people were. After Josiah heard the message of God, he knew it could not be for him. He also learned what he was to do as the leader of God's people.
If we look at Deuteronomy 17:18-20, we learn that every king of Israel and Judah had a copy of the Book of the Law. In Deuteronomy 31, we see the command given to read the Book of the Law once every seven years to the entire nation. This was to ensure they knew and could hopefully follow God's commands.
Josiah gathered all the elders of the people and everyone who lived in Jerusalem. This time, instead of Shaphan reading the word of the Lord, Josiah himself read it. He knew how important this moment was. He wanted to carefully lead each person to the heart of the Father.
Let's look at 2 Kings 23:2. It says, "He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD."
After reading God's word, Josiah took another courageous step in moving people back toward right living with God. 2 Kings 23 says,
"The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD—to follow the LORD and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant."
Every single person there pledged themselves to God. Every single person there decided God's ways were higher. Every single person repented and turned toward the redemptive work of being sanctified.
What would it be like to experience that kind of turning toward the Lord in our church today? Or, in our city? What if each of us turned away from sin and committed to keeping God's commands with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? That kind of revival is possible today just as much as it was then. It is only through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit!
Although he made efforts to destroy idol worship in the earlier years of his reign, the utensils and items used for idol worship were still preserved. There were also still priests who led idol worship in Judah.
They kept these items because the people had already determined in their hearts to return to their idolatry once they got a new king. They were obeying out of a political obligation toward Josiah. They were not doing it out of a changed heart. More than that, they actually kept these things in the house of God.
This guy went on a rampage to remove idol worship in the nation. Here's what he did:
· All of those utensils that were used for idol worship were destroyed.
· The people and priests who were leading those in worshipping false gods were slaughtered.
· He demolished the shrines at the entrance of the city of Judah.
· He ground the Asherah pole to dust.
· All the altars and high places that the kings of Judah had made throughout the years, Josiah desecrated.
· He got rid of the mediums and psychics, as well as the gods people had in their homes.
He did not take any chances. He got rid of all of the idolatry. He did all of this because that is what God's words said.
He was not double-checking with his counselors to see if he should or should not follow God's laws. He didn't send out an interest survey to see if that's what the people wanted. He discovered the truth of God's word and deliberately followed it, regardless of what the people thought. How can you do the same today?
Despite taking all of these steps toward purity, the people of Jerusalem still did not let their hearts be changed by God. As a whole, they did not want reform. They wanted to stay in their sinful living. And, as a result, the Lord ultimately gave them over to the consequence of their choices in the Fall of Jerusalem to Babylon.
But God is still good. In the midst of their turning away, he gave them chance after chance to turn back to him. The work He did in Josiah was still so powerful, even though it didn't result in permanent life-change. God is still using the testament of Josiah in our lives today. The work of Josiah continues to be valuable even though it didn't yield a lasting result in the people of Judah.
All of this work was pointing to the people's need for an ultimate savior. Following the commands of a king wasn't enough to change their hearts. And there is only one who is worthy and able to do this: Jesus Christ.
We get the blessing of living in a time where we live with a relationship with the Savior that goes beyond rituals and rules. We get to have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us to convict us and lead us toward repentance.
Yesterday, we looked at the passage in John 14:26 to show that obeying God through the power of the Holy Spirit does bring the peace of Jesus Christ.
Let's look again at that chapter in John. In John 14:26, we read, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, and the work of the Holy Spirit, we can live in alignment with God. We can be sanctified and set apart for the glory of God's kingdom. We no longer have to live in idolatrous lives that will never satisfy us completely.
As we've gone through this journey throughout 1st and 2nd Kings, I'm sure God has shown you some idols in your life. I know I have! But I want to challenge you to evaluate what you are doing in getting rid of the idol worship in your life. What steps are you actually taking? Are they drastic? Are you willing to go through and demolish every high place you've built in your life?
Just like Josiah, we can drastically remove idol worship in our lives. And we get the honor and blessing of having the power of the Holy Spirit living in us and a relationship with Jesus to help us with the task.
RESPOND
As we wind down our time today, here are a few questions for reflection.
1. What idols has God already revealed to you? What steps did God reveal to you to take to get rid of this idolatry? Are you taking these steps?
2. How can you faithfully go against the tide of culture to follow Scripture? How can you boldly lead others in the same way?
3. If revival began with your own wholehearted obedience, what might change in your family, church, workplace, or community?
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